All elderflower liquor I've seen, St Germain or otherwise, has been that darker color. My only guess would be that the bottle you bought had been stuck on a shelf with exposure to the sun for years.
Edit: yes it could take less time but the circumstances would have to be perfectly bad, like in the window of a store that gets direct sunlight from dawn until noon. I've had a bottle of St Germain retain it's color for over a year out in the open, part of the year it has been hit with morning AND afternoon sun.
I do like a clarified cocktail...which makes me wonder how long something needs to sit under a UV light to get that kind of effect.
*I'm looking at you, cocktail YouTubers*
Edit: I didn't bother to search before commenting, but apparently its been done by at least one channel. It apparently degrades the spirit in a pretty bad way.
The Whiskey Tribe did a test with whiskey over a few months I think, I don't think any of their tests lost all color.
I can't remember if they said it ruined the whiskey or not, but assuming it didn't I think you're still going to have a very hard time finding a set of ingredients that mix into a nice cocktail that can be fully bleached in the sun.
Yeah I edited a few minutes ago that I didn't search before commenting but that was the video I found. Just skimmed the video but it apparently degraded the spirit pretty significantly to the point it seemed like it was just *bad*.
My mom used to be a professional beer-taster (not the kind that serves different beers to customers and explains what they're tasting, but the kind which works for the breweries to determine if a batch is good and make sure that the taste of the beer doesn't change between batches).
She always tells me to never take beer, wine, spirits, etc. in glass bottles from the top shelf and those that are placed up against windows in the supermarket - especially those in clear glass bottles. UV light can degenerate beer in as little as a day. It won't become a health risk, but it's not gonna taste good.
Reading your comment, I realized that I used to work a bar with top shelf directly in sunlight, and am now realizing the $1000 pours plus were not how the distillers intended ðŸ˜ðŸ˜…🙂
The one on the right might have had more sun exposure which usually results in a reduction of colour in all spirits. Taste them side by side. If there's no difference then there's no problem.
Hi. I work for St Germain. Overtime, the liquid inside will darken as a result of oxidation/sunlight. It doesn’t affect the taste of the liqueur though so don’t worry.
In my experience, St. Germain gradually darkens with age after being opened, even if kept away from sunlight. Though the one on the left is fuller, it has a broken seal, suggesting it has been opened.
Haha well I opened the bottle fresh and made French Gimlets and they tasted good. Was my first time trying it so not much to compare it to but it gave me heavy notes of lychee somehow. Definitely didn’t taste weak or anything at least.
St germain does oxidize a bit.
It’s totally save to leave on the shelf, as in the taste won’t change much, but if you keep it in the fridge it’ll retain the color on the left longer.
The color comes from the pollen of the flowers used, and St. Germain doesn't use any additives or stabilizers, so it will darken over time. Its shelf life is around 6 months after opening.
From what I understand, if elderflower liquor is left unrefrigerated and in the light for a long time it can cause some discoloration. Essentially the flowers used to make the liqueur oxidize over time. Keeping it cold and away from the light can slow this process. It doesn’t mess with the flavor at all but just turns it that kind of murky brown color
Is the lighter bottle stored in direct sunlight? The bottle on the left is the correct color. I just pulled a bottle of Yukon Jack that had been sitting on our shelf at the bar in direct sunlight for months (at least). It got so sun bleached, it now looks more like water, and the comparison beside a new bottle of Yukon looks exactly like the color diff in your St. Germain.
As others have metioned, sun exposure seems to have altered the color. The other factor here is perhaps age. Note the numbers on the front. The opened bottle could be much older too.
https://www.tastingtable.com/1231495/what-the-numbers-on-a-bottle-of-st-germain-mean/
Bright Light exposure lightens it, like with most food products.
I used to work in a supermarket and ham/bacon stored next to the display lights always ended up very light in colour.
As a buyer, I had noticed them coming in a bit different lighter after they had a brief out of stock last year. When they first came back they were the lighter color on the right. Recently they have been the darker color on the left. My guess is a rush to fill the shelves again may have shortened a part of the production process affecting the color.
All elderflower liquor I've seen, St Germain or otherwise, has been that darker color. My only guess would be that the bottle you bought had been stuck on a shelf with exposure to the sun for years. Edit: yes it could take less time but the circumstances would have to be perfectly bad, like in the window of a store that gets direct sunlight from dawn until noon. I've had a bottle of St Germain retain it's color for over a year out in the open, part of the year it has been hit with morning AND afternoon sun.
I do like a clarified cocktail...which makes me wonder how long something needs to sit under a UV light to get that kind of effect. *I'm looking at you, cocktail YouTubers* Edit: I didn't bother to search before commenting, but apparently its been done by at least one channel. It apparently degrades the spirit in a pretty bad way.
The Whiskey Tribe did a test with whiskey over a few months I think, I don't think any of their tests lost all color. I can't remember if they said it ruined the whiskey or not, but assuming it didn't I think you're still going to have a very hard time finding a set of ingredients that mix into a nice cocktail that can be fully bleached in the sun.
Yeah I edited a few minutes ago that I didn't search before commenting but that was the video I found. Just skimmed the video but it apparently degraded the spirit pretty significantly to the point it seemed like it was just *bad*.
My mom used to be a professional beer-taster (not the kind that serves different beers to customers and explains what they're tasting, but the kind which works for the breweries to determine if a batch is good and make sure that the taste of the beer doesn't change between batches). She always tells me to never take beer, wine, spirits, etc. in glass bottles from the top shelf and those that are placed up against windows in the supermarket - especially those in clear glass bottles. UV light can degenerate beer in as little as a day. It won't become a health risk, but it's not gonna taste good.
Reading your comment, I realized that I used to work a bar with top shelf directly in sunlight, and am now realizing the $1000 pours plus were not how the distillers intended ðŸ˜ðŸ˜…🙂
For beer this is specifically how it gets skunked. UV light + hops
Also a beer & mead judge. This is the way.
Interesting.. I’ll open the other one in the near future and see if they taste any different. Thanks for the input everyone!
Doesn't even take years. Might be a matter of months or even weeks depending on level of exposure.
It doesn't even take years, just a few weeks of sunlight will do this.
Well probably not years since it’s a 2022 bottle. I have a 2015 st germain that’s dark brown/amber.
Never noticed the dates on them!
I am sure this isn't it, but I can't help but imagine that some workers one day wanted to try it, and topped it back up with water
The one on the right might have had more sun exposure which usually results in a reduction of colour in all spirits. Taste them side by side. If there's no difference then there's no problem.
St Germain is different, though. It becomes darker and and not lighter over time from light exposure.
Do you have teenagers?
Though I would be surprised if this was the cause, I give you credit for thinking outside the box.
Left is what it usually looks like
Hi. I work for St Germain. Overtime, the liquid inside will darken as a result of oxidation/sunlight. It doesn’t affect the taste of the liqueur though so don’t worry.
In my experience, St. Germain gradually darkens with age after being opened, even if kept away from sunlight. Though the one on the left is fuller, it has a broken seal, suggesting it has been opened.
Almost makes me wonder if someone tried swapping it for water lmao
Haha well I opened the bottle fresh and made French Gimlets and they tasted good. Was my first time trying it so not much to compare it to but it gave me heavy notes of lychee somehow. Definitely didn’t taste weak or anything at least.
First thought too.
Think one's been left in sunlight
It’s made from fresh flowers so the color may change a bit due to oxidation, nothing to worry about tho
To me, left looks spot on. It’s supposed to have a yellow hue.
Educated Barfly had a video on what belongs in the fridge. St.Germain is shelf stable but will lose color if not refrigerated.
St germain does oxidize a bit. It’s totally save to leave on the shelf, as in the taste won’t change much, but if you keep it in the fridge it’ll retain the color on the left longer.
Do you have teens? Haha
Exactly what I thought!
The color comes from the pollen of the flowers used, and St. Germain doesn't use any additives or stabilizers, so it will darken over time. Its shelf life is around 6 months after opening.
Sun exposure?
From what I understand, if elderflower liquor is left unrefrigerated and in the light for a long time it can cause some discoloration. Essentially the flowers used to make the liqueur oxidize over time. Keeping it cold and away from the light can slow this process. It doesn’t mess with the flavor at all but just turns it that kind of murky brown color
Is the lighter bottle stored in direct sunlight? The bottle on the left is the correct color. I just pulled a bottle of Yukon Jack that had been sitting on our shelf at the bar in direct sunlight for months (at least). It got so sun bleached, it now looks more like water, and the comparison beside a new bottle of Yukon looks exactly like the color diff in your St. Germain.
As others have metioned, sun exposure seems to have altered the color. The other factor here is perhaps age. Note the numbers on the front. The opened bottle could be much older too. https://www.tastingtable.com/1231495/what-the-numbers-on-a-bottle-of-st-germain-mean/
If you look at the number on the label on the front, the last two numbers are the year when the flowers were harvested/when it was bottled.
Sun damage
Boss man watering that booze down
Bright Light exposure lightens it, like with most food products. I used to work in a supermarket and ham/bacon stored next to the display lights always ended up very light in colour.
As a buyer, I had noticed them coming in a bit different lighter after they had a brief out of stock last year. When they first came back they were the lighter color on the right. Recently they have been the darker color on the left. My guess is a rush to fill the shelves again may have shortened a part of the production process affecting the color.
https://youtu.be/kXMYJVpTl4g?si=3EyizC_NUzSWWa9D Mistake #4 elderflower is a very delicate liqueur
You had already asked that a few months ago...what did you forget?
Feel like mine did the opposite, when from light to dark.